Predictive behavioral surplus proved directly applicable to winning elections
Evidence
Google demonstrated that the same predictive knowledge derived from behavioral surplus that had made the surveillance capitalists wealthy could also help candidates win elections. To make the point, Google was ready to apply its magic to the red-hot core of twenty-first-century campaigning, beginning with the 2008 Obama presidential campaign. Schmidt had a leading role in organizing teams and guiding the implementation of cutting-edge data strategies that would eclipse the traditional political arts with the science of behavioral prediction. Indeed, “At Obama’s Chicago headquarters… they remodeled the electorate in every battleground state each weekend… field staff could see the events’ impact on the projected behaviors and beliefs of every voter nationwide.” — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 391
Categorization
- XREF: Connects to the broader surveillance-capitalism thesis and to later controversies around Cambridge Analytica and algorithmic campaigning. — connects to: Behavioral surplus forecasting power drives a second imperative beyond extraction — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 620; The 2012 Obama campaign applied behavioral surplus prediction directly to voter targeting — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 395; Cornering behavioral surplus is an orchestrated strategy, not merely a technical feat — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 413
- SEED: Angle: the precursor lineage of ‘predictive campaigning’ from Obama 2008 to today’s AI-driven political microtargeting, showing the tech industry’s capture of electoral science.
Broader Connections
- The 2012 Obama campaign applied behavioral surplus prediction directly to voter targeting
#exemplifies(0.95) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 395 - Cornering behavioral surplus is an orchestrated strategy, not merely a technical feat
#expands(0.75) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 413